Who Else Wants To Know The History Of Karate

The history of Karate and other types of martial arts goes back thousands of years. For me it goes back to when I started to take karate classes in middle school after being inspired from watching a series of Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris movies.

There was nothing more exciting to me than to learn how to kick the crap out of bullying boys at my school. As I got immersed into the art, however, I found that there is a lot more to it than flashy self defense moves and seldom does it ever involve kicking the crap out of anyone.

Although Karate was around long before him, the most significant figure in the modern history of karate was Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee considered himself a true martial artist and did not limit himself to the study of just one discipline, but rather he studied many disciplines, including boxing.

Then he eventually developed his own brand of martial arts. But Bruce Lee was also a karate champion and his first real introduction to the world was an extremely impressive display that he put on at the1964 Long Beach Karate Tournament.

This tournament was not only witnessed by many prominent martial artists but also by one of the crew members of the then hit television show Batman. From there Bruce Lee wound up on Batman as the "Green Hornet" and the history of karate would never be the same.

There Is More To Karate Than Movies

Bruce Lee's main focus was not to make movies, but rather to practice the martial arts, learn their histories, and develop his skill and fitness so he could be a perfectly physically conditioned machine. Unfortunately the only history of karate that most people in the Western world know is all they have seen on television or in the movies.

And nowadays unrealistic karate moves are the new fad. Jackie Chan does some quick moves in his latest movie and everyone thinks they just got a lesson in the history of karate. But karate was not meant to be a form of entertainment, it is meant to be a display of discipline and successful learning through hard work. Learning karate takes a lot of dedicated time and respect for its history and origins.

Karate is based on self defense and not aggression. Most karate classes are really great for enhancing mental focus, and discipline, as well as add the completive edge for those who like to spar in karate tournaments. That is why karate classes are so great for kids and adults alike.

Karate survives as a cornerstone of the martial arts and as one of the true vehicles of self control and the ability to look deep into one's self and find your true inner person. Karate is a quest more than it is a lesson on how to punch and kick someone.